Solid as a Rock

I use my Mr Coffee Espresso maker on a daily basis and its a quality machine. No breaks, clogs, cracks, burns, or steam leaks. The only possible improvement would be a stainless steel carafe. The top of the water chamber is particularly easy to open and seal tight.

[Monday, January 08, 2007]

Way overpriced

Very unhappy to have ordered this for Christmas. Three weeks and still have not received. For this price and shipping I could have purchased TWO identical machines in town.

[Friday, December 29, 2006]

More drawbacks than I like

For about five years, I have owned an ECM 10, and used it happily every day. The steam tube finally eroded through, so the ECM 91 seemed like an obvious replacement. I set up the new unit and took off the water cap.
Top cap: This cap was larger than before, so slower to turn, and the grip was now quite smooth and stylish, so I had to hold it a lot tighter.
Small fill hole: Under that large cap, of course, would be a larger -- no, wait, much smaller hole to receive the water. Well, okay. I filled the pot, took careful aim, and poured the water in. Oops, too fast.
Backsplash: Large aluminum crossbars in the fill hole left four rather small entry paths, and water immediately splashed back at me and over the top of the machine.
Slippery control knob: Once I started the coffee, I went to heat milk in a mug under the steam tip, with its rather large plastic housing. I reached to turn the control knob, but my hand was slightly wet, and the now narrower, smoother, stylish knob was almost too slippery to turn. I dried off my hand and tried again, and then succeeded.
Low profile: The milk heated in a customary time, and then I pulled out the mug. The lower profile of this unit kept the tip from separating from the froth, so pulling the mug away pulled froth over the edge and down the side. I would need to lift the unit in the future, each time I finished frothing a mug. I haven't tried a tall mug; not looking forward to it.
Drippy steamer tip: I did a second mug, keeping my hands dry but still working rather hard with the small, smooth knob. I removed the second mug and turned the knob to steam the coffee. The now larger plastic steam tip cover held a lot of milk, and it dripped like a St. Bernard, yet another, well, minor pain.
Much loss of liquid: Now that I had steamed two mugs, I let the coffee bubble through. It can't be finished yet, I thought, the pot is only half full. There is still good coffee to extract. No, it's done. My ECM10 would of course lose some volume in steaming the mugs, but nothing like this. So, wait a little, and then pour some more water in, aiming carefully. At last I finished two simple cups.
Rubber taste: My husband and I sat down. I was already making notes when he said, do you taste something strange? Well, it seemed sort of okay, but I had to admit. A rubbery taste was definitely to be part of the magic moment. Even now, our cups sit upstairs, waiting to be poured down the sink.

[Saturday, December 23, 2006]